Selected quad for the lemma: kingdom_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
kingdom_n	add_v	righteousness_n	seek_v	1,890	5	6.1748	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A61391	The husbandmans calling shewing the excellencies, temptations, graces, duties &c. of the Christian husbandman : being the substance of XII sermons preached to a country congregation / by Richard Steele.	Steele, Richard, 1629-1692.	1668 (1668)	Wing S5387; ESTC R30650	154,698	309

saving stakes in the world is his by-business but saving his soul is his main business For what will it profit a man to gain the whole world and to lose his own soul Mat. 16.26 what is he better if he discharge all his debts and die in Gods debt and be cast into the prison of hell for ever What welcome can he have to God that hath done every thing but what was chiefly given him in charge That is good counsel then for the Husbandman Mat. 6.19 20. Lay not up for your selves treasures upon earth where moth and rust doth corrupt and where Thiefs break through and steal but lay up for your selves treasure in Heaven Nothing you can get in this world that can be laid up safe but if your soul be saved that will be safe for ever You must remember that you were not made to work and eat but to save your souls in the first place God hath no where promised that if you seek the world and the vanities thereof the things of Gods Kingdom shall be added to you but he hath promised that if you Seek the Kingdome of God and the righteousness thereof all other things shall be added to you Mat. 6.33 And there-therefore the Religious Husbandman will secure the main chance I must part with my house and my ground and my children but my soul I must live with for ever and that I will secure I know many things are useful but one thing is needful And no care enters deeper than the welfare of this no cross lies heavier than the hindrance of this As in a common fire a man will strive to save his building but if he cannot he would not lose his goods yet if these go in the flame he 'l venture far to save his Cash his Writings and his Jewels So our Husbandman is careful of his other concerns but his Soul his Jewel in the thickest of his business he will endeavour to feed and cure and save whatsoever it cost him The soul like some great Personage is somewhat exceptious if she be not regarded in the first place she will not be served with broken meat When that is made a by-business which should be the main business when men are serious in trifles and trivial in serious things that 's wisdom from beneath stark folly before God The Husbandman is loth to end his life with that doleful song Cant. 1.6 My Mothers Children made me keeper of the Vineyards but my own Vineyard I have not kept And yet alas for grief how many such foolish Creatures are there that like Children sent upon some weighty errand fall in love with this and the other gay flower or weed in their way and play with them while their business is neglected how do such Children deserve to be welcom'd home So do they Almighty God hath sent you into this world upon a great errand namely to conquer the Devil exalt the Lord Jesus and climb to Heaven Ah Sirs do not fall in love with the fading flowers of lawful comforts do not play with the stinking weeds of unlawful lusts and forget your errand Remember there 's no conversion after Death no Sermons in the grave no forgiveness in hell lo this is the accepted time this is the day of salvation you must plow and sow for Eternity No seedness here no harvest there SECT III. III. THe Third Design of the Husbandman should be The Publick Good He hath learned but a little way in the book of Christianity that sets his private benefit above the publick good He that will Sleep in Jesus must serve his Generation Acts 13.36 And the Religious Husbandman will serve his God and then will serve his Generation and then will serve himself not himself first no how may I further the common Good He plows and sows not only because he lives by it but because the Common Wealth cannot live without it That was right Husbandry in Joseph Gen. 41. He did not hoard corn and let others starve but he hoarded it lest others should starve It is said Prov. 11.26 He that withholdeth corn people shall curse him but blessing shall be upon the head of him that selleth it and the wise Husbandman more values the blessing of God upon an empty barn than a full barn and a curse therein He is more pleased with the publick wealth though he lie under private wants than if himself had wealth and there were publick want abroad Though he be a private man yet he should have a Publick spirit It is strange what Instances have been of this Excellent Spirit among Heathens One advising his Countrey men for the publick Good though he knew that Advice would speedily cost him his life Another purposely disguising himself in the battel that he might be there to save his Countrey Another venturing to Sea in a dreadful storm to relieve his needy City with Corn with this conclusion it is not necessary that I live but it is necessary that Rome be relieved Shall limping Nature go thus far that had no Bible but the Creatures nor Heaven but the Elysian Fields Surely grace in the Husbandman will not leave him behind For he hath far stronger inducements to be publick spirited to wit The Love of Jesus Christ which love being shed abroad in his heart by the holy Ghost should make him drown his private in the Publick Good Away then with that poorness that baseness of spirit out of this Excellent Calling As David though he had then onely commenc'd Shepheard yet when he heard of Goliah's affront to the publick he had the heart of a King to vindicate that disgrace and took his life in his hands and came off with honour So should the Religious Husbandman look above himself above his own silly interest and design the publick good in his labours And as the least pin is of use in the greatest building so the meanest Husbandman may be of use in the Mightiest State and the Swords that defend us would be of little avail without the Plough-shares to maintain them It were a mercenary Souldier that only would fight for his pay no he must fight for his Country So that 's a Mercenary Husbandman that onely works for riches he must labour for his Countrey else he is not worthy to live in it And therefore wheresoever his private benefit crosses the publick as in hoarding up Corn in a time of dearth or any such like therein he must deny himself and account that sordid yea cursed gain that is obtained with the general loss SECT IV. IV. THe Fourth Design of the Husbandman should be The Education of and Provision for his Children God hath given him Children and fain he would bring them up and bring them up as the Children of the Most High He holds up Abraham for his Copy Gen. 18.19 with whom he resolves to charge all his with the fear of God in the first place and can never look upon them

hath need of discretion in Religion to reg●…te his zeal with wisdom to carry the ballances even between his general and particular calling that he be neither Monk nor Matchevellian To know when to work and when to pray when to be chearful and when severe In a word his Family and his Farm are his Kingdome and he hath need of Christian politicks as well as a Prince And what need have ye then to study and pray and seek after wisdom First knock at Gods door for he hath bid us come to him before we trouble any body else and his word is past that he will give and give liberally and never upbraid All other means also must be used especially deliberation and advisedness He that thinkes much shall doe more then he that can only talk or work SECT III. III. THe third special Grace that the Husbandman should get is Heavenliness He hath weights to press him down and therefore hath need of wingsto lift him up Both his nature and his calling would conform him to the world and without a Divine principle there 's no rowing against these It s a hard thing to be in the Earth and not of it and to live above that which he cannot live without He must have heavenly affections and those set and fixed that will do it Coloss. 3.2 Set your affections on things in Heaven and not on things on Earth Mark we must not only have our thoughts on Heaven but our affections affectionate working thoughts without frequent and lively indeavours this way thy mind will be sadly earthified and sunk down to a brutish temper thy heart will be where thy heeles should be As he that 's alwayes conversant with Books will have his mind exceedingly filled with Notions and Observations so much more will the poor Husbandmans heart be prest down and the frame of it bent earthward unless he study this Grace To be earthly in earthly business is humane To be Heavenly in Heavenly business is divine To be earthly in Heavenly business is brutish to be Heavenly in earthly business is Christian. O therefore get thy ends alwayes thy heart frequently spiritual and Heavenly so will you do two works in one and get Heaven and earth at once Look up often to the Heavens and withal think who dwells there what they are doing there what thou wilt be abont a thousand years hence how a man should do to get thither and how a man may know he shall dwell for ever there No creature upon earth hath an upright countenance as man hath on purpose that he might look up to that God that made him and not to the earth whereof he is made Resolve with an Heavenly magnanimity when thou art plowing or digging in the earth and say Oearth I am not now thy equal By Grace I am advanced to reach after higher things then thou canst yield me any Here I have pibbles but yonder are pearles here I have clods of dust but yonder there are Crowns of Glory here 't is true are my Wife and children to cherish and nourish whom I could be content to live but that yonder is my Father my Christ my noble friend my true joyes my real treasure my God and that 's enough And therefore up O my leaden heart and make thee wings and fly away to rest For where the treasure is there should the heart be also Consider that God is alwayes in thy company and who can be cold that lives in the Sun though thy imployment be mean and thou go sometimes into the lonesome fields or the lowest imployments yet having such Royal company such a God and alwayes within the hearing within a call of thee how canst thou be dull and earthly Think would I flag thus and have my heart under my feet thus if some excellent Minister were in my company what questions would I be asking him whatconverse would there pass between us O how much more Heavenly should I be that have a Heaven so nigh me if not a Heaven in me Put it therefore into your prayers O all ye poor Husbandmen whose Calling lyes in that which is vanity and vexation of spirit Lord turn away my eyes from heholding vanity and quicken me in thy way Psal. 119.37 SECT IV. IV. THe Fourth special Grace the Husbandman should get is Vprightness Uprightness toward God and down uprightness towards men to live a plain even Scripture course To be a Jacob a plain man ●…hough he dwell in Tents Behold this is the Husbandmans motto To be poor and honest ●…t is a criticall thing to be a Politician but there are few criticismes in the sincerity of an Husbandman He is one that will rather lose all he hath then God and a good Conscience And this he follows not as an heathen ●…rtue but as a Christan Grace He walks in the uprightness of his heart for Conscience sake This is his Argument with God this is his Bond to men Lord remember how I have walked before thee in Truth Isa. 38.3 He cannot boast of many works but he can glory in an upright walk And this pleads with God for him even when many infirmities ●…ccompany his actions his heart is right And the observation of this even and downright carriage of his is as good as other mens bonds If he verefie it no body doubts the truth of what he asserts His motto is Men●…iri non possum Prodere nolo I cannot frame to lye If he promise any thing every one beleives him for he had rather break his head than break his word In his discourse he is not elegant but he is honest and when his phrases and expressions are ridiculous his integrity makes them lovely In his bargains he studies Justice and strives to do by others as he would be done by In a word he is ●…onest without welt or gard And this is a ●…lessed Grace Isa. 33.14 Who among us ●…all dwell with devouring fire That is approach the just and holy God He that w●…eth righteously and speaketh uprightly that 〈◊〉 spiseth the gain of oppression He shall 〈◊〉 on high Bread shall be given him his 〈◊〉 shall be sure If Heaven and Earth can 〈◊〉 him amends he shall have it he shall dw●… with God on high in Heaven he shall want Bread on Earth Mark the perfect man 〈◊〉 behold the upright for the end of that 〈◊〉 is peace The poor Husbandman hath liv●… to see the fall of many a cunning companion that could stretch his Conscience to 〈◊〉 interest and cogg and swear and lye 〈◊〉 his gain And them he hath seen like green Laurel Tree but the curse was amo●… his goods and all is gone he is not wo●…th groat The little estate he hath as it was 〈◊〉 hastily gotten so he hopes it will be slow 〈◊〉 spending and like a low house with a goo●… foundation stand when the fine house 〈◊〉 him will have a dreadful fall having 〈◊〉 foundation in injustice